Linda Mooney

Hi Linda!
Welcome! We at Enchanting Reviews would first like to congratulate you for your success, and thank you for providing us with the wonderful opportunity to review your work. We are very eager to get to know you, and the person behind the author, better.

1. What made you decide to become an Author, and when did you find that you had writing in your blood?
Hi! Thank you so much for this opportunity!
I started writing when I was a child. I was very lonely and withdrawn. My childhood was not happy, so I wrote stories to get away from the real world. As I grew older, I found out that writing helped me cope with stress and the pressure of real life. I guess that’s why I so love science fiction and fantasy. It’s about as far away from reality as you can get! LOL!

2. How do you come about your characters? Which is/has been your favorite character to write about?
Hmm, that’s like asking a parent which child she prefers. I can’t really say. I love Atty and Yulen in my Battle Lord series to the point where I’ve already written 3 sequels with more planned. Star and Hunter in my HeartFast books haunt me with their romance. And Cutler Glass in my just-finished dark urban fantasy series has a special place in my heart, as well.

3. What was your inspiration, if you had one, for the series of books Runners Moon?
Runner’s Moon started out as a challenge because I overheard two authors arguing at a con about the “definition” of shape-shifters. One claimed they were were-animals like wolves, etc. The other argued vamps. I went to my hotel room and thought about what kind of shape-shifter could I make that was neither, and the whole concept just took off. I originally intended it to be a one book deal, but about mid-way through Jebaral, I realized I had to tell Tiron’s story. And by mid-Tiron, I threw up my hands and admitted Simolif had to be given his lover, too. :D
Could you also tell us more about the inspiration behind the books Healer of the Heart and AEquana?
Healer of the Heart was actually my very first romance created all on my own. For many years I wrote freelance, but I hated the constraints. Sadly though, my editor at the time didn’t like my venturing out, and she would delete whole pages of the book with a magic marker because it was historically inaccurate (although it’s set on an alternate world). So I put Healer on a disk and filed it. But I never forgot Healer. Healer has a “medieval” feel to it because I love that whole “sword and castle” type of epic. It wasn’t I met The Dark Castle Lords Publishing (thank you, Veronica!) at RT in Houston this past year that I got up the nerve to pull Healer out of the mothballs, re-edit it, and submit. It became their very first fantasy novel.
AEquana is a special child to me. Again, I challenged myself to write about a very well known genre, but give it a different slant. I had been to Colorado with my hubby recently, LOVED the mountains and all, and decided to use the state as a back-drop. Since I’m one-quarter Cherokee, I thought a Native American hero would spice things up, and—voila!—things fell neatly into place. :) I have a sequel planned for those two.

4. Will you visit any of those worlds again, especially that of Healer of the Heart which showed promise for expansion?
At this time, no. I have other books I plan to expand upon, but at the moment I’m satisfied where Querl and Mareesa ended up.

5. How do you usually come up with a story idea? Is it Fate, or do you have a specific process you go about?
A bit of both. When you write freelance, you’re usually given an outline or topic, and then you have to run with it. Sometimes you get a photo that you have to write around. I’ve discovered I love to be challenged like that. So if I see something that catches my eye, I let it stew a bit to see if something cooks. Once in a while I’ll see what a publisher is asking for in their submission guidelines, and I’ll write something to fit.
Once I start, I like to outline where I’m going with a story, although sometimes the book may venture off into a completely different direction by the time I’m finished. I always set myself a daily goal of One Page Per Day. LOL! It’s not much, about 650 words in 12-pt. Times font, single-space. But nine times out of ten, once I get started I can crank out a bit more before I call it a day.

6. Do you feel a calling toward a specific genre or style of writing?
Yes, sensuous romances that have a sci-fi or fantasy flavoring and lots of emotion and angst. They’re like nothing you’ve ever read before. Trust me. :) But if a publisher asks for a specific type of story or genre, I don’t have a problem usually with trying to accommodate her.
7. Your books do not stick to one particular genre and you seem to like playing with the different genres out there. Is there one you have not written about that you would like to try?
Umm, well, I haven’t done a western. LOL! I have a paranormal I’m about 4 chapters away from finishing. And I’ve finally delved into erotica.

8. Do you pull a lot of research for your stories, or is it mostly inspiration that drives you? How do you go about your research generally?
When you create fantasy, there’s not much research you have to do. But when I do have to look up something, I try to talk to real people. When I wrote Sandeflay, I got direct information about wheelchairs and paraplegics from my next door neighbor who is handicapped. To get info about using a bow and arrow for my Battle Lord series, I talked at length with the owner of an archery range in Colorado. For AEquana, I interviewed a registered deep sea diver. The list goes on.

9. Are you an author who uses outlines and schedules, or do you simply let the creative juices flow?
I outline generally, just to give myself a foundation. Sometimes I write my books in “bricks”, then mortar them together. Other times I start at the first chapter and run with it. I always aim for X number of words per day, and a minimum of 60K words total.
For a lark I’ve done the BIAM (Book In A Month), just because I love a challenge. :)

10. How long did it take you to get your first book published?
From writing it to having it published? LOL! Healer was written in ‘96 and was published this past July. However, I submitted it in April, right after RT.

11. What did it feel like to hit the #1 list with Runner’s Moon?
Ohmygosh! I still don’t believe it! All I hoped for was to sell enough books so my publishers would not be sorry they took me on as an author, and to get my stories out where other people could read them. This whole best-seller thing is a dream I never dared to dream. :D

12. What do you like to do in your spare time? What are your interests outside of writing and creating such captivating stories?
Umm, I love to travel. I’ve been to Maine twice (on my own) and Vermont once. My husband travels on business, so when I can I go with him. I love to shop at little Mom-and-Pop stores in small towns. Stop when I see a place that interests me.

13. Is there anything else you would like to add? Maybe telling us more about Linda Mooney, the woman behind it all...
I have a Bachelor’s and Master’s in voice and music education. I’m also certified Early Childhood, which was how I was able to teach elementary music for 25 years, then teach Kindergarten for 6 more. I can’t retire for another 8 years, so after a full day, I come home and put in another 6 hours or so behind the computer. LOL!
I live in a south Texas town near the Gulf where I have been married for 25 years next January to a man who had a heart transplant in ‘01. And we have two grown sons.

14. A more personal question: Have the children you’ve taught in your professional career ever inspired you to put their traits in any of your characters?
Their traits? No. But I admit that I have “borrowed” a few names. :D
I want to thank you for your time today and we at Enchanting Reviews hope to see more work from you in the near future. We have been delighted with this opportunity to get to know you better.
Thank you for choosing Enchanting Reviews.
No, thank YOU for allowing me this honor! {{{{}}}}

Interviewed by Zee
October 2007